Anthony Bryk, Paul Peterson, and E.D. Hirsch have won the first annual Fordham prizes for excellence in education, the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation announced this week. Bryk and Peterson will split a $25,000 prize for distinguished scholarship while Hirsch will receive his own $25,000 prize for valor. The winners were selected by an independent committee from dozens of nominations received in response to a public solicitation. For details, including what makes the prize winners so outstanding, surf to http://www.edexcellence.net/template/page.cfm?id=251. And please note that nominations are now welcome for next year's prizes. (Information about submitting them can be found at the same place.)